It is tragic to me that we live in a world that robs women daily of
the beauty of motherhood: babies taken from their mothers immediately after
birth, when those first few minutes are so crucial to bonding; robbing babies
of the ability to smell the mother’s pheromones right after birth and just lay
on her chest, and allow mother’s and baby’s heartbeats to coincide; bombarding
women with societal standards of beauty so they grow to loathe the baby bump
and rounding out of the body in preparation for birth; the outside pressures of
“doing it all,” and yet in all reality it takes a village…..
If I could encourage pregnant women of one thing, it would
be to relish your pregnancy. Relish your pregnancy and the beauty and miracle
it represents. Realize it is one of the greatest sacrifices you will make as a
mother—you have to eat and drink differently, take supplements, move
differently……and THINK differently. When you feel negative or have a bad
attitude, your baby feels all that. In times of stress your body produces
chemicals (hormones) in response to that stress, some not good. Your baby is
being bathed in those hormones. Try to be mindful of the deleterious effects a
negative attitude can have on a fetus. Now sure, we all have our down times,
but being chronically miserable in your pregnancy is such a tragedy!! Think
about what stress does to your own body. And realize what stress does to your baby.
At this point I would like to put a plug in for a wonderful book and philosophy
on natural birthing called Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method, by Marie Mongan.
The breathing and visualization can be used during your pregnancy, not just at
birth. You deserve to take a few moments each day to breathe deeply, pray for
and think about your baby, listen to soft music or read to your baby. Connect with
your baby, which sometimes can be hard to do while in the womb, especially for
first time moms. Call your baby by name, refer to him or her by name to others.
It helps to make you more conscientious of the life inside of you.
I remember once
looking in the mirror, pregnant with my first child. I don’t remember, however,
exactly how far along I was, but I noticed all these very apparent blue veins
running all across my chest. My face lit up as I realized what was happening:
my body was getting ready for the milk production and it had set up a factory
of veins to get the plumbing ready. I was so in awe at God’s creation, how He
created my body to “know” when to make changes in preparation for my baby. And
while not pregnant I can agree that veins can be unsightly, they were beautiful
to me for what they represented. And if you have never breastfed, you are
missing out on one of the sweetest, most intimate times with your baby. I successfully
breastfed my first and third babies, but my milk dried up at 4 mths on my
second baby. I tried everything. Supplements, lactation consultants. everything.
But I was so stressed out with balancing a 16 mth old and a newborn, and for
some reason failed to trust my body’s ability to produce , that I worried
myself to drought. Literally. Chronic stress dried up my milk. And I was
devastated. I went into a mini depression, because although I had a deep desire
to breastfeed, I couldn’t. So I know firsthand how stress can affect a baby.
And there are other reasons women can’t breastfeed, and for those of you out
there, I know the hurt. But there are tragically mothers out there who are
misinformed and don’t want to breastfeed, or give up in the hospital because
the nursery nurses have conveniently started a bottle for you.
Don’t let the world rob you of that experience if your body
is able!!! Try. Let other mom’s who know how to breastfeed help you—trust me,
there are tricks of the trade. Ah….I digress. Just love your pregnancy. Love
the fact that your body “knows” to widen the hips—there was a time in history
when being voluptuous was beautiful and a sign of wealth and health.
I am admittedly one of those women who loves to be pregnant.
I am better pregnant. I wish I could be chronically pregnant. It gives me a
sense of purpose. I know that I am needed. Pregnancy is not about me, but about
my baby. And that intense desire to do and be all that I can for my child is
the driving force behind why I am so passionate about natural childbirth.
Motherhood begins in the womb.
About the author: Lindsay and Kellie go way back and have
shared many adventures together. With a degree in genetics and biochemistry,
Lindsay went on to enter med school as an MD/PhD student. She now holds the
greatest , most difficult, most rewarding job worldwide: stay at home mother of
three.
